London’s Oldest VIP Casino May Close

Crockfords Casino based in Mayfair in London and owned by Genting UK could be the next high-end casino to close its doors following the announcement by the company that it has entered into a 30-day consultation period with staff over the future of the site valued in the exclusive area of London at £80 million.

The casino is the oldest in the capital and attracts high-end value customers but since the Covid pandemic the venue has struggled to bring back its customers and with the introduction of the government’s “tourist tax” (the cancelation of VAT-free shopping for tourists in 2021) it seems like another exclusive VIP club in London is set to close.

Crockfords located at 50 St James Place was established in 1828 by William Crockford a fishmonger at the time and went on to be one of the country’s wealthiest men.

It attracted the aristocracy and rich and became the exclusive place for the elite in society.

However like the Ritz Club and the Clermont club in recent times which were forced to close, Crockfords looks like going the same way with dwindling numbers of high rollers prefer other destinations to spend their money.

With stronger rules on credit facilities hurting VIP clubs and even the new White Paper helping more mass market casinos with greater numbers of slot machines which VIP casinos do not relay on it has spelled the possible end of another high end venue.

The President of Genting UK Paul Willcock said: ‘Crockfords in Mayfair has been affected by a combination of factors that have put London at a competitive disadvantage compared to other international markets.

‘We will explore all options during the consultation period and no decision will be made until the views of our staff have been heard.

‘We highly value our employees and we are committed to our duty of care to them. None of our other casinos are affected in any way by this process and we will not be commenting further whilst this consultation is under way.’